1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fuel generation for an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for molecular hydrogen generation using a plasma system for use as a fuel for internal combustion engines.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In response to the growing concern over emissions from internal combustion engines as a source of air pollution, alternative fuels are becoming more acceptable for use in internal combustion engines. One such alternate fuel is molecular hydrogen. Molecular hydrogen may be used as a fuel for internal combustion engines, or as a fuel for fuel cells that generate power that can be used in place of or in combination with an internal combustion engine. Since molecular hydrogen is not a natural resource, it is typically generated from one or more compounds containing molecular hydrogen. For example, molecular hydrogen may be generated by steam reforming of hydrocarbons.
Steam reforming of hydrocarbons is an endothermic process. Therefore, a source of heat must be available to run the steam reforming process. The processing equipment needed and/or the time for heating of the reactor to generate a temperature sufficient to generate molecular hydrogen using a steam methane reforming process does not make steam reforming of hydrocarbons amenable for rapid-start, compact, portable applications (for example, automobiles and/or buses).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,353 to Daniel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,259 to Ciray et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,950 to Kong et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,899 to Bromberg et al. and U.S. Published Patent Application Nos. 2007/0059235 to Voecks et al.; 2004/0206618 to Voecks et al.; 2004/0148860 to Fletcher, each of which are incorporated herein by reference describe reforming hydrocarbons and/or gaseous hydrocarbons using plasma.
Since molecular hydrogen is a produced resource and hydrogen resources such as crude oil are becoming diminished, economical and efficient methods, and systems to generate fuel for internal combustion engines from alternate sources of feed are desirable.